News

The DVSA has launched a new online service allowing buyers of used cars to check if a vehicle is subject to a safety recall.

The new service, which uses real-time data supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), allows anyone wanting to buy a used car, and existing car owners, to use the vehicle registration number to check if it may have a serious safety problem.

More than eight million used cars were sold in the UK during 2016, with figures from the SMMT suggesting that as many as one in 13 vehicles has an outstanding safety recall.

Tycroes Primary schoolchildren are on a mission to find a new lollipop person to help them cross the road safely.

Pupils have been without a School Crossing Patrol since last April. The school sprung into action with the help of the council’s road safety team and launched a design a banner competition to help attract interest. The banner is draped over the school gates and the children hope those that pass the gates will be encouraged to apply for the position.

The Council’s executive board member for transport, Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The pupils decided they wanted to get involved in an appeal for a School Crossing Patrol and this competition was a perfect opportunity for them to do that.

In the last year more than five million motorists received automatic refunds of vehicle tax after selling their car, totalling over £360 million.

When you tell DVLA that you’ve sold your car, you’re eligible for a refund of vehicle tax for any unused months. The quickest and simplest way to tell DVLA that a vehicle has been sold is online, but the latest figures from DVLA show that more than 60% do not use the service. This means motorists will be waiting longer for their refund.

The online service only takes a few minutes to complete, the seller will get confirmation instantly that they are no longer the vehicle keeper, and the refund will arrive within three to five working days. The service is available on GOV.UK, seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.

RoSPA Wales has developed a bilingual guide to help employers navigate their way through the subject of managing occupational road risk.

Driving is the most dangerous work activity that most people do, and it contributes to far more accidental deaths and serious injuries than all other work-related activities. Very few organisations can operate without using the road. Millions of vehicles - lorries, vans, taxis, buses, emergency service vehicles, company cars, motorcycles and bicycles - are used for work purposes, and many more people work on foot on the road - maintenance workers, refuse collectors, postal workers, vehicle breakdown employees, the police and so on. Unfortunately, this means that all these workers face risks on the road because they are doing their jobs. They can also create risks for everyone else who uses the road.

The new guide provides simple advice based on HSE’s approach of ‘plan, do, check, act’ outlining the policies, people and procedures that need to be put in place to enable employers to understand: